


To Market, To Market...

by haisai_andagii



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-15 08:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11226780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haisai_andagii/pseuds/haisai_andagii
Summary: Young!Strongarm goes to the Cybertronian Farmers' Market with her favorite bot: Grandpa Optimus.





	To Market, To Market...

**Author's Note:**

> A/U: The rust plague never happened, so there was no lock-down or caste system and, therefore, no Cybertronian Civil War.
> 
> Also, transformers consume energon and cyber-organic vegetation and animals in this universe.

Alpha Centauri hung high in the sky, baking the cyberformed earth with its rays.  Strongarm pushed her lip ridges together in protest as her grandfather, Optimus pressed a large, floppy onto her young helm.  She grumbled, as the weight of his servos caused her to stoop a bit.  Out of the corner of her optics, Strongarm saw the other protoforms running past - hatless and carefree.  Her schoolyard nemesis, Sideswipe, was among them.  He paused a moment by the market's gates to stick his glossa out at her before running off with the rest.

"We must be careful, little one," she heard her grandsire chided gently from above.  His voice like the low, gentle rumble of an engine.  "Even the toughest bots can get burned."

Strong pouted some more, digging the toe of her pede into a patch of rust.    Optimus chuckled.

"I look stupid," she grumbled.

"You look very handsome.  Prepared," Optimus countered.  She looked up at him, the corners of his wizened mouth turned slightly upward.  "And that your grandsire who has excellent taste."  He offered her an outstretched servo.  Strongarm sighed and took it - the knot that was her processor tanks unfolding as they began to walk towards the market grounds.

"Do you have your bag?" her grandsire asked.

"Yes!" she chirped, slipping the tote bag Uncle Bee gave her for her first reframing.  It had a picture of her favorite Cybertronian police member - Captain Prowl - on it.  "What is our mission for today?"

"Well, I must buy some chrome chips for Ratchet..." he replied.  "Then, some cyberfox jerky treats for Servo..."

"And snacks for us too?!"

Optimus laughed.

"Of course!"

No sooner had he said this, Strongarm broke off, kicking her legs in front of her out as they strode along the aisles.  Her worries totally forgotten as she took in her surroundings.  All of Cybertron was here at the Iacon farmers' market and they had everything every bot could want was for sale: rust sea kelp soup, manganese melon salad, acid waste apple pies... 

They bought the jerky from an Urayan butcher with an Urayan accent so thick Strongarm that he was gargling hot bolts.  And they found Ratchet's snack for sale from a merchant miner from Kaon.  The looming, grey mech gave Strongarm and her grandsire a kind smile as he took her shanix and began to scoop fresh, warm chrome chips into a bag.

"Here ya' go, lil' bot," said the merchant as he gently placed her purchase into Strongarm's tote.  "Mined these from my farm this morning.  My conjunx - Soundwave - can't get enough of them!"

They thanked him and continued on, strolling along and admiring the other stands.  She bought a new ball and some polish for herself.  Grandsire purchased a cask of Polyhexian energon wine ("For grown bots only," he ordered.").  When Alpha Centari began to sink towards the horizon, Strongarm felt her processing tanks rumble.  She pressed a servo against her abdomen plates.  A sweet scent wafted across her olfactory sensors.  Strongarm cast a glance over her shoulder and gasped - her impossibly wide optics growing even wider.

"Gramps!" she nearly hollered, causing several bots to stop and look at her in alarm.  "Can we get these?"  She pointed her stubby digits at a veritable rainbow of glowing energon candies at a nearby stand.

"Two bags, please," she heard her grandsire say to the vendor.

"Two?"

"One for us and one for..." Optimus paused and pointed a digit in a direction just behind her.  Strongarm turned and saw Sideswipe and few of the other younglings sprawled out under several trees.  They looked miserable, scratching at burnt patches strewn across their arms and legs.

Optimus placed the candies in her servos and gave Strongarm a gently push against her back struts.  Reluctantly, she ventured over and offered her classmates and friends energon candies. They pounced like hungry corvicons, thanking Strongarm as the shoveled sweets into their mouths.  The bag was nearly empty when she realized that Sideswipe had not moved a cable, glaring at her over the tops of his knee joints as he sat, hunkered against the old tree.

"Here," she said, tossing him one from where she stood.  The young bot reached out and snatched it in the air.  He turned it over in his digits a few times before giving her a curious look.

"Thanks..." he mumbled.  He popped it into his mouth, his frown melting into his usual, self-satisfied smirk. "And nice hat."

"Betcha wish you had one today.  You look like a rusty lobster bot!" Strongarm teased.  The others began to laughed.  Sideswipe growled, leapt to his pedes and began to chase after one.  The rest scattered like scraplets under a searchlight, leaving Strongarm alone with her grandsire once again.

"Shall we return home for dinner, Strongarm?" she heard him ask.  Strongarm skipped after him as they turned to leave the market grounds.  She took his servo into her own this time, beaming up at him as he smiled down at her.


End file.
